Block

Use the VoxEdit Block Editor to create the fundamental building blocks of The Sandbox.

Starting with the Block editor is a great way to start learning how to use VoxEdit!

Creating Blocks

Blocks are used to create terrain, paths, large structures, and more in The Sandbox. You can paint colours onto the sides of a 32x32x32 voxel block and upload to use it in Game Maker.

Use various tools in a paint-only mode with the default palette or custom colours. Controls make it easy to visualize your project, create patterns, refine your design, and optimize your workflow.

What Can I Make?

Paint the 6 faces of a cube to create custom solid or liquid blocks with varying levels of transparency in a variety of art styles. Use emissive colours to add glowing details.

You can make tileable (repeatable) textures with a single block or create a set of similar blocks to use together for larger patterns or deign purposes.

You can not add, move, or remove voxels from a block in VoxEdit.

Collisions, Colours & Transparency

Once a block is painted in VoxEdit, you can upload it to make it solid or liquid and set transparency.

Blocks can be varied to have:

Solid or Liquid collisions
Normal or Emissive colours
Transparency in increments of 20 0% transparency is opaque, and 80% transparency is near invisible

Emissive colours are applied in VoxEdit to create a light bloom around a block or asset. Light logic may also be applied near the block or asset to shine a similar light color on nearby blocks and objects.

How Do I Use My Creations?

Once your block is painted, you can upload it to your Workspace and set properties for how it will look and feel in The Sandbox Game. Then it's ready to test and use in Game Maker!

Use step-by-step instructions to upload

🧰Upload Assets to Workspaces

Learn how blocks are used in Game Maker

Using Blocks

Install Game Maker to Test Your Creations

📖Docs

Blocks are not moved by gravity or physics in Game Maker.

Blocks can not be minted and sold on the Marketplace.

Getting Started

Open the Block Editor

In VoxEdit's Home screen, select the Block editor in the left menu. Then:

Create a new block

Open a previous block file

Open a recent file (click on a thumbnail)

Block Editor Window

Tool Tips

↙️ Hover your mouse over anything in VoxEdit for tool tips at the bottom left.

Performance Data

↘️ See performance data at the bottom right (moved from the Viewport).

Dropdown Menu

⬆️ See Controls & Shortcuts for Dropdown Menu details.

Viewport

The Viewport is the central area of the screen where you can view and work on your project.

See Viewport Controls to learn how to:

Take a screenshot
Position your project
Adjust camera sensitivity
Change lighting and background colour

The front of your project is indicated by a large white arrow outside of the block (oriented to the positive Z axis). Note the colour coded axes on the Gizmo.

Panels

Learn how the Block editor's panels work below. See Panels & Custom Layouts to personalise VoxEdit.

Menubar

The Menubar helps you save, translate, and visualize your project.

Controls

Save

CTRL+S

Commit to changes. ℹ️ Use File -> Save As to save another version of your project.

Rotate

Turn the entire Block 90 degrees around the X, Y, or Z axis.

Flip

Flip the entire Block 180 degrees.

Mirror

Toggle on and off a line of symmetry on the X, Y, or Z axis for mirrored editing.

Edges

Show or hide voxel edges.

Edges reveal a 32x32 grid on each Block face for measurement and precision work.

Focus

F

Focus the camera to the default start position.

The Toolbar allows you to choose how to paint on your block, with different shapes and depths.

The Block editor is paint-only. The Modeler also includes modes to add, erase, and select voxels.

Controls

Pencil

Click or drag to affect single voxels (free editing).

Line

Click and drag to affect a straight line of voxels.

Rectangle

Click and drag to affect voxels in a rectangle from the screen's perspective.

Circle

Click and drag to affect voxels in an ellipse from the screen's perspective.

Box

Click and drag to affect voxels within a box shape.

Bucket

Click to affect all voxels of the same colour that touch.

Picker

Select a colour used on your block in the viewport (updates the Materials and Palette panels).

Palette

The Palette panel holds colours for your project in up to 255 swatches, or locations. This data is stored in small .PNG files. Palettes are easy to customise.

Controls

Select a Swatch

Left click on a swatch

Change Swatch Size

Toggle between small, medium, and large

Save, Load, or New Palette

Open the menu

Changing Colours

VoxEdit applies colour based on data in a swatch location.

If you used a swatch to paint a block, any changes to that swatch's colour will apply to the block:

Changing a swatch's colour in the Materials panel
Loading a palette with a different color in the same swatch location

Create a new colour with the Materials panel or customise the Palette using existing colours.

Position & Blending

Cut, Copy & Paste

Select or right click to cut, copy & paste swatch colours into other swatch locations.

Move (Drag & Drop)

Click and hold, drag, and drop to another location

Blend

Space colours apart as desired, select and drag from one colour to the other, right click, select Blend in the menu.

Materials

The Materials panel is used to change the colour of the swatch that is selected in the Palette.

Changing a swatch's colour will change the colour on your creation anywhere it has been used.

Manual Colour Change

Slide ↕️ Hue

Drag ↕️ Tint ↔️ Saturation

Toggle button Emissive Colour ℹ️ This icon appears in the preview box and on the colour swatch if emissive is applied.

Emissive colours have a soft glow, but don't affect nearby assets in a game (builders use Light).

Emissive colours are often used for lighted buttons on panels, fire, and other luminous details.

Colour Match

Set Colour (code): Type RGB, HSB, or HEX codes and press ENTER.
Colour Sample (screen): Click and hold, hover over a color, and release.

Colours may differ slightly between VoxEdit, the Marketplace, Game Maker, and the Game Client.

Block Sides

In the Viewport, the front of a block is indicated by a white arrow on the floor.

The Block Sides panel treats each side of your block like a 2D image. Select a block side and use controls to modify.

Changing a side's edges will change other sides that share the edge.

Controls

Flip left to right Flip top to bottom

Rotate right Rotate left

Export image Import image

REUSE SIDES

Drag and drop any side onto another to duplicate it.

IMPORT USES

Import a .PNG image to a side as a reference to re-paint or to generate a colour palette for your project.

CREATE MULTIPLE SIMILAR BLOCKS

Create a set of blocks for grasses, streets, walls, etc. with variation by exporting each side and importing into a new project to modify or use File -> Save As to create a new version of your project.

PreviousPanels & Custom Layouts NextModeler

Last updated 1 year ago

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